U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel on Friday made a 2,000-kilometer journey from Tokyo to Okinawa Prefecture¡¯s remote Yonaguni Island ¡ª just 160 km from Taipei ¡ª as Washington and Tokyo look to present a united front amid growing concerns about a conflict over democratic Taiwan.
Emanuel is the first U.S. ambassador to travel to the island, which is home to a Ground Self-Defense Force base, where he met with Yonaguni Mayor Kenichi Itokazu and had lunch with some of the roughly 250 SDF troops deployed there.
¡°I might be the first U.S. ambassador to visit Yonaguni, but I predict I won¡¯t be the last,¡± Emanuel said in a post on social media platform X, adding that he and Itokazu had ¡°discussed economic opportunities linked with security for Japan¡¯s westernmost island.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.